EU service centres see October shipments fall on-year

European steel distributors’ association EUROMETAL tells Kallanish that European Union (EU) distribution sector shipments dipped again while inventories grew year-on-year for flat products in October. Shipments also saw a strong fall in the multi product and proximity distribution sector.

Flat steel service centres (SSC) saw EU shipments dip by -7% y-o-y in October following a -3% fall in September. Despite this, shipments over the first ten months of 2016 have risen by 1% on-year. Stock volumes within EU SSC, when expressed in days of sales, noted 67 days in October 2016, compared with 61 days in October 2015, EUROMETAL says.

EU Multi-Product & Proximity Stockholding distribution, mainly involving longs, tubular products and stainless steel, also registered a decrease in shipments in all main product lines, except for plates, the association adds.

October shipments in this sector dipped by -10% y-o-y but showed have remained flat y-o-y for the first ten months of 2016. Stocks within the EU Multi-Product & Proximity Steel Stockholding Distribution sector, expressed in days of sales, reached 75 days in October 2016, EUROMETAL continues. This compares with 69 days during the same month in 2015.